1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a security device for identifying products and in particular a device comprising a security label designed to be applied to products or articles such as automobile spare parts to identify their source.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most articles sold and components used by industry are identified by self-adhesive labels applied directly to the article or to its packaging. The label gives the source of the article and the name of the manufacturer and/or the reseller in addition to information on the nature and specifications of the article.
However, in some sectors of industry such as automobiles and perfumes, pirated articles often have labels applied to them which are in all respects identical to those carried by the original article: pirated articles, the quality of which may be very much inferior to that of authentic items, can therefore be mistaken for the items sold by the genuine manufacturer. At this time the financial losses arising from pirating of automobile body parts on the French market (for example) are very considerable.
In the field of automobile spare parts in particular, the dubious quality of some pirated articles, such as brake pads, for example, can put the user in danger without them realizing it. Some non-genuine brake pads can wear out in a very short time, and this can cause serious and even fatal accidents. Permanent security marking is one way to restrict pirating.
One solution previously put forward is to use self-adhesive labels which carry symbols or text printed in a special luminescent ink so that the text and/or symbols can be read only under ultra-violet light. One such label uses the principle of a security document described in French patent application FR-A-2 552 023. A rectangle is printed in fluorescent ink visible only in ultra-violet light on a medium containing no fluorescent agents, with the result that the document cannot be photocopied.
An object of the present invention is to propose a secure product identification device which is simple to manufacture.